Art Blogging Contest

Monday, May 02, 2005

Haydn, Sonata in D major

Time for a double dose of Haydn rondo form (and printing out all those pages of that symphony won't be fun)

The A section of the rondo form is in rounded binary form. The first section of the A part consists of one period, with an IAC in the original key of D in the fourth bar, and modulating to a PAC in the dominant key of A major in the key of A major. This section repeats. The second section of the A section is only four bars long and ends with an IAC in the key of A major which serves as the dominant to the key of D where the first section of the A part returns. This first section is higly elaborated and has an IAC in the key of D after four bars, and the second part of the period doesn't modulate and ends with a PAC in the key of D.

The B section modulates to the key of D minor. Haydn throws a little joke with the deceptive resolution to the b flat chord during this The first section is a period and has a HC in d minor and then modulates to a PAC in F. The second section has two six measure phrases rather than three four measure phrases. The first half modulates back to d minor and ends with a HC and then the second half stays there and ends on a PAC.

The A section returns again like any good rondo and isn't embellished.

The C section is next and immediately goes to the key of G major and stays there for the whole C section. The first section of this part has a HC and PAC in the key of G, and the second part has three phrases again, ending on a HC, HC, and PAC in four bar intervals.

After this there is a very extensive transition which is easy to tell in this song becuase it's the first non-repeated section. It quickly modulates back to D major with a HC in the fourth bar and eighth bar and then as another joke he repeats the A for a very long heightening the expectation of returning to the A section again.

The A section starts out the same, but Haydn starts embellishing it the second time through the first section and continues this through the second section, mostly by having fast running sixteenth notes in the bass. There is no real coda to this piece, he just emphasizes an ending by repeating the final PAC in D three times.